Final answer:
Principle-based ethics focuses on using logical, universal principles to guide moral decisions by considering the core values of the human community and resolving conflicts without violence. These principles are expected to stand up to moral deliberation and provide a consistent framework for guiding behaviour.
Step-by-step explanation:
When making moral decisions, the focus of principle-based ethics is on applying universal principles that have logical consistency and can be used to guide conduct towards what is considered morally right. These principles are expected to serve the core values of the human community. In searching for a suitable principle, philosophers aim to identify one that meets the demands of the current world situation and carries the least disadvantages while promoting a moral path of conduct.
Normative ethics, for instance, outlines frameworks like consequentialism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics, each anchoring moral decisions in different criteria - consequences, duty, or character, respectively. Through moral deliberation, these frameworks provide standards to guide correct behaviour in an effort to resolve moral conflicts in a nonviolent manner, reasoning away from the subjective preferences of Ethical Egoism (EE) towards more universally applicable principles. Examples include the Principle of Utility employed by the United Nations or countering the approaches of religious extremism that rely on Divine Command, which is generally not accepted by the global community for conflict resolution.
Moreover, ethical pragmatism emphasizes the importance of evolving habits for moral reasons and asserts that morality, as a habit, is intrinsically social. This discussion of principle-based ethics revolves around the idea that a moral theory should effectively guide behaviour by recommending actions based on a logical and consistent framework, ultimately serving as a basis for navigating ethical issues and decisions that confront individuals on a daily basis.